Folding furniture



Dec. 29, 1931. LAURSEN 1,838,846

FOLDING FURNITURE Filed Jan. 23, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor ,3 Z. .Zaur 06/7 A ttorney 1931- B. LAURSEN FOLDING FURNITURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25. 1929 I Attdrney Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES IBRUNC LAURIS LAURSEN,.OF DUNED IN, FLORIDA FOLDING FURNITURE Application filed January 23, 1929. Serial No. 334,464.

My present invention pertains to folding furniture, particularly tables, seats and beds.

One object of my invention is the provision of an arrangement of table, seat, bed

5 or other unit adapted to be enclosed in a cabinet which in turn may be attached to a wall or installed in a wall or partition, even in a partition less than four inches thick.

Another object is to provide furniture tive position.

Another object is to so arrange the support of the unit that the unit may be moved from operative to nonoperative position, or vice versa by a single continuous motion without the necessity for breaking joints or adjusting fastening devices;

Another object is to so design the apparatus that the various component parts will be automatic in action.

Another object is to so balance the parts and control their operation that the device will require slight eflort either to open or close.

Another object is to so design the device that the panel of the cabinet will automatically remain closed without use of fastening.

Another object is to so design the device as to provide an automatic retarding effect to prevent slamming when bringing the parts to operative position.

Another object is to provide a design which presents a smooth, attractive appearance when the cabinet is closed.

Another object is to so design the device that the top will be effectively stopped and prevented from collapsing when placed in operative position.

Further and other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims and'shown in the drawings, which by way of illustration show what is now considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view with table in operative position.

Figure 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of Figure 1. I

Figure 3 is a cross section on line 33 of which may be automatically locked in Opera- Figure 1, showing the table in operative position.-

Figure 4 shows the table in fully folded and partly folded position.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of a detail hereinafter explicitly referred to. Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the views of the drawings.

Although my invention is suitable for a variety of furniture units, I have elected to illustrate and describe it as applied to a table.

The'arrangement herein shown comprises a table 10. The table is associated with a wall cabinet in such relationship that when the table unitis not wanted for useit may be folded into the compartment afforded by the cabinet. The cabinet comprises a back board 16, uprights 18 so spaced'as to not only provide proper support for the unit 10 in all positions, but also to cooperate with the unit while in folded positions in order to form 'an attractive cabinet, with the top 10 forming the front panel of the cabinet. The cabinet may be attached to a wall or partition such as 20, Figure 2, or may be incorporated in the wall itself. In Figure 2 it will be seen that the front edges of the uprights 18, and the tabletop 10 form a practically continuous plane surface to form the front of the cabinet. A cap 22 is placed on top of the cabinet and a base plate 24 isprovided along the bottom. The table comprises a top 10 at'the rear end of which is attached a round cross bar 26, the ends of Whichproject as trunnions into grooves 28 in the sides ofthe upright 18. Each groove 28 is shaped with a lower arm 280; near the level of the table top while in operative position, and a long vertical section extending to the top ofits upright 18. The vertical section of the groove is inclined slightly toward the front of the cabinet as shown in Figures 3 and 5, and the arm 28a extends forwardly from the lower end of the vertical section and then upwardly, forwardly of the vertical section, and terminates 'in its forward end into a forwardly directed terminal portion 28?), best shown in Figurefi. A

' The forwardly and upwardly extending portion of the groove arm 28a keeps the table or top 10 from accidentally collapsing when the trunnion 26 is forced against the samei. e., it acts as a stop, and weight of the table or top 10 will again bring the same into place.

Supporting the top 10 is a strut member 30 which is hinged at its lower end to base plate 24 by hinge 32 and at its upper end to the under side of the top 10 by hinge 34. In the position shown in Figure 3 the lower end of the strut 30 abuts against one leaf of the hinge so that a considerable portion of the strain is taken off the hinge pintle.

\Vhile in operative position, asin Figure 3, the short terminal portion 28b of the groove 28, and the weight of the table top itself and any load placed on it tends to maintain the trunnion in said grooved portion 28?). Thus the top 10 is effectually prevented from collapsing, and when the top is folded, the weight of its inner end will guide the trunnion in the portions 28a and the major inclined portion of the grooves 28.

In order to fold the table into the cabinet, it is only necessary to press the top rearwardly and downwardly. This first moves the trunnion out of the grooved portions 28B and into the groove portions 28a, and then forces said trunnions upwardly in the major inclined portions of the groove 28 until the table assumes the position shown by the full lines in Figure 4 with the upper end of the top snugly occupying the groove 2200 in the underside of the forward portion of the cap 22. An intermediate position is indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 4. It will be noted that in folded position the weight of the table is supported by the strut 30, and that the hinge 34 is further toward the rear of the cabinet than the hinge 32. It is, in fact, far enough to the rear so that the center of gravity of the structure is behind the hinge '32 which means that the table automatically tends to hold itself in folded position and no fastening device of any kind is required.

The interrelationship of the supporting member of the table is such that said member folds compactly into the space between the top 10 and the back 16 of the cabinet.

To place the table in operative position the described folding operation is simply reversed.

During the unfolding operation, as soon as the center of gravity of the device has passed to the front of the hinge support, the tendency is for the top 10 to fall outwardly and downwardly to assume its operative position. This means that the trunnions on end of rod 26 are bearing against the front sides of the grooves 28. As the grooves are sloped toward the rear, from the top downwardly, the important result is secured that a pronounced retarding effect is provided or produced, thereby preventing the structure from slamming downwardly and permitting the operator to easily lower the table gently into operative position.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the construction as herein specifically illustrated, but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the class described, in combination with a unit having a horizontal operative position, and a vertical inoperative posi tion, a stationary upright member having spaced uprights and grooves at opposed sides thereof, each groove with a short forwardly and upwardly extending arm near the level of said unit when in operative position and also with a forwardly directed horizontal terminal at the upper end of the upwardly extending portion of said arm and a long section extending upwardly from the rear end of the arm and inclined toward the front of the upright member, means on said unit to engage said upright member whereby said member may guide and retard the movement of said unit, while said unit is being moved from inoperative to operative position.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 in which a cap is provided at the upper end of the stationary upright member, and has a groove in the under side of its forward portion to receive the upper end of the unit when said unit is in inoperative position.

3. The invention defined in claim 1, in which a strut is interposed between and hingedly connected to the unit and the lower portion of the upright member and has its lower center of movement forward of its connection to the unit in folded position, whereby the strut supports the unit in folded position and the unit tends to hold itself in folued position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

BRUNO LAURIS LAURsEN. 

